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Clever Enough

MindMusing

No one is clever enough to change the fundamental laws of life. The way of wisdom is to surrender to them. – Confucius

Commentary: The idea of surrender is anathema to many of us in the west. We recoil from the thought of handing over our autonomy to some person, idea, belief, organization, group etc. This is a natural response.

One thinks of the abuses of authorities throughout history and those that are happening today. Corporate executives, government officials, politicians, union leaders, etc. all vie for our attention and loyalty. The stories of that loyalty being betrayed are legion so it is no wonder we are reluctant to buy in to their propaganda. But Confucius’ surrender refers to what he calls the fundamental laws of life.

These would be things like our need for food, water, shelter, and companionship. It would also refer to the physical facts of existence like gravity, the weather, the seasons etc. All these remind us that we are embedded in and dependant on the natural world. This world functions in particular ways that are stable and mostly predictable (ok, ok, maybe not the weather 🙂 ). These are the natural laws of nature. And those who would seek a good, happy, enjoyable life need to follow these laws as we are subservient to them. We certainly can try to change them, but we are in for pain and frustration. Better to understand and follow the “way of nature” as our best chance at happiness. Think of a windsurfer wanting to experience the exhilaration of moving quickly across the water, despite the direction of the wind. Learning to feel the flow of the air aligning and with it is required to gain that thrill.

Remember the line in that Jim Croce song “…..don’t spit into the wind”? Well you can do that of course, but nature will have the final say in the outcome!